Versatility has been the name of the game for Arsenal and Mikel Arteta this season. Of the 23 players still in the squad who have Premier League minutes to their name, only seven do not have a clear secondary position.

Those are: Gabriel Magalhaes, William Saliba, Jorginho, Thomas Partey, Bukayo Saka, Kieran Tierney, and Martin Odegaard. The centre-backs are self-explanatory, whilst the two out-of-contract midfielders really aren't able to operate easily away from the No.6 role or as a double pivot with the protection of Declan Rice.

Odegaard is a combination of a No.10/No.8 on the right side but is used in a similar way for most matches. Saka is the same on the wing (and you could argue he is cover at wing-back or left-back having played there before, but it's been a while). Tierney is about as orthodox full-back as they come.

This is no bad thing either. Among that group are all of Arsenal's best and most important players. They each have a craft and a role and have honed it to world-class levels. Arteta has chosen general versatility elsewhere.

In total, there are four players able to play at right-back, six centre-backs, seven left-backs, seven midfielders (not including Oleksandr Zinchenko, who can shift inside but would never start there normally for Arteta), six right-wingers, three left-wingers, and two strikers. It is an incredible amount of options and there aren't too many specialists. Even Declan Rice can switch seamlessly between different roles in front of defence or driving forward.

An issue for him this season, though, especially in defence, has been picking the best selection and profiles. Saliba and Gabriel feature week after week when fit, which leaves eight competing for two full-back spots on paper. Partey at right-back is the worst-case scenario.

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In midfield the introduction of Ethan Nwaneri and Myles Lewis-Skelly has helped to keep things afloat during a continuous cycle of injuries. Arteta can mix and match his build-up methods for now but will need to rebuild over the summer, hence the interest in Martin Zubimendi.

The attack has looked thin, again due to fitness problems, but flexibility is a strength and Nwaneri has been uncovered as a genuine pick on the right. The real dilemma, as mentioned is at the back.

Jurrien Timber is perhaps the best example. He joined having mainly played at centre-back for Ajax but has so far been almost exclusively a full-back. That is largely down to the partnership and form of the Saliba-Gabriel rock, but also out of necessity.

Arteta spotted something in his game - namely his speed and ability to dribble forward in possession - that he believed made Timber a suitable right-back for Premier League matches. It is still not totally clear, 18 months into his Arsenal career, where Arteta prefers him. He has played almost as much at left-back as he has on the right and is often used to cover the spot left open by injuries.

Timber doesn't maraud through a press often either, and is left to plug gaps with strong defensive positioning and recovery. Again, it is no bad thing for Arteta but it has left much to be desired at times when Arsenal have needed to take games by the scruff of the neck.

Riccardo Calafiori, an upgrade on Jakub Kiwior at centre-back and on the left, has not yet truly settled. He has shown flashes of justifying the near £45million price tag but is still some way from proving himself as a regular. Injuries, again, have halted his start to life in north London.

Takehiro Tomiyasu's extended absence has meant more shifting of the pieces, as has Oleksandr Zinchenko's problems with form and fitness. None of this is ideal for Arteta as he tries to find a balanced side capable of creating a platform for expressive and controlled football.

The passing angles shut off to right-footed players on the left has caused issues, as has Timber and Calafiori's lack of fluidity at times moving forward. This was especially clear when Odegaard was taken out of the team, leaving Arsenal without their creative hub.

It is no surprise that so much in the final third has relied on Saka. Now that is Nwaneri. The good news is that it might be about to change.

Ben White's potential inclusion in the Arsenal team may well free up multiple areas. Not only can he return to right-back and restart a relationship with Odegaard that has proven so fruitful, mainly when used in conjunction with Saka's presence, but it also allows Timber to move.

This is not immediately an upgrade as he is less natural on the left but it has further implications for Lewis-Skelly. He has expertly dropped into the team across a number of roles. In all of them he has looked as composed and effective.

It is a credit to Lewis-Skelly and Arteta that he has come so far so quickly. Given how accomplished he already is on the ball, as a character, and physically, the likeliness of seeing Lewis-Skelly deployed in midfield increases.

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That will only be enhanced when White returns. Lewis-Skelly is too good to come out of the side and Timber is arguably the best if not second-best choice at left-back. He would only be behind Lewis-Skelly in that ranking on current evidence and getting all three into the team is possible.

Lewis-Skelly has enough about his game to drop in deep, play passes like a senior midfielder with experience way beyond his years, as well as now starting to show enough class in and around the opposition box. It is still early days but his long-term future is very much geared towards the centre of the pitch.

He is a chameleon able to do it all and that opens up an even wide range of tactical opportunities for Arteta. When White comes back, and he could well be in the squad to face Leicester City on Saturday, the movement for Lewis-Skelly into a pivot or even on the left-side where Mikel Merino works, is very much on the cards.

As he works at left-back and is shielded or protected to an extent, Arteta does not need to worry about being let down. Lewis-Skelly can flourish with added support and solidity behind him from Timber or other left-backs in the team. He can also bring plenty to the side.

White, therefore, will be a boost in more ways than one for Arteta and Lewis-Skelly. Even as he is eased back into the team there is a chance to put Timber on the right, Calafiori on the left, and Lewis-Skelly into a more impactful spot further forward.